AN ICE CREAM PINE CONE

 Pretty soon it began to snow and soon the Sunny Meadow was just as white and smooth as Mrs. Rabbit’s best table cloth, for the feathery snowflakes fell so softly you could almost hear the stillness. Little Jack¹ Rabbit opened his knapsack and pulled out his rubber boots. Then he put on his ear muffs and his nice warm mittens² and slung³ his knapsack over his back, but very carefully, for there were lots of nice things to eat in that knapsack. Yes, siree. His kind mother always filled it up with cakes and sweets. I guess the little rabbit knew that very morning his dear mother had baked lettuce⁴ cakes, and how he did love lettuce cakes. Yes, indeed he did, and so would you and so would I if we could only get one, I’m sure.

 

Well, after he had hopped⁵ along a little way, he began to sing,

 

“Three little bunnies a-sliding went

On a winter’s day,

The ice was thin, and two fell in,

And the third one ran away.”

 

“Ha, ha!” cawed an old crow from a tree top, “that’s a very fine song!”

 

“Well, if you think it’s such a fine song, throw me down an ice cream pine cone,” said the little rabbit. But the selfish old crow wanted it for himself, and instead threw down a snowball, which hit the little rabbit on the tip of his tail.

 

The little rabbit wasn’t going to stay there and have snowballs thrown at him. No, sireemam, he wasn’t. And pretty soon, not so very far, he met Jimmy Mink⁶ creeping along by the Old Duck Pond.

 

“I have to be very careful these winter days,” said the little mink. “Everybody wants to wear fur in the winter time, you know, and if that dreadful Miller’s Boy sees me, he might shoot me and sell my fur for a muff!”

 

“They set traps for me,” answered the little rabbit. “And Danny Fox and Mr. Wicked Weasel are always after me. And Hungry Hawk⁷, too. You’re not the only one who has to look out for himself.”

 

Then the little rabbit took a lovely lollypop out of his knapsack and gave it to Jimmy Mink, and asked him to make a visit at the Old Bramble Patch.

 

“I’ll get Uncle John to take us riding in his Bunnysnowbile.” This tickled⁸ the little mink almost to pieces, for he’d never ridden in a Bunnysnowbile, and neither have I and neither have you, but perhaps some day we will if we happen to be around when Mr. John Hare comes by. And in the next book, if the smoke doesn’t blow down our chimney and choke the cook so that she can’t bake the biscuits for breakfast, I’ll tell you more about Little Jack Rabbit and his friends who live in Bunnyville, U. S. A.

1 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

2 mittens   

不分指手套

参考例句：

• Cotton mittens will prevent the baby from scratching his own face. 棉的连指手套使婴儿不会抓伤自己的脸。
• I'd fisted my hands inside their mittens to keep the fingers warm. 我在手套中握拳头来保暖手指。

3 slung   

抛( sling的过去式和过去分词 )； 吊挂； 遣送； 押往

参考例句：

• He slung the bag over his shoulder. 他把包一甩，挎在肩上。
• He stood up and slung his gun over his shoulder. 他站起来把枪往肩上一背。

4 lettuce   

n.莴苣；生菜

参考例句：

• Get some lettuce and tomatoes so I can make a salad.买些莴苣和西红柿，我好做色拉。
• The lettuce is crisp and cold.莴苣松脆爽口。

5 hopped   

跳上[下]( hop的过去式和过去分词 )； 单足蹦跳； 齐足（或双足）跳行； 摘葎草花

参考例句：

• He hopped onto a car and wanted to drive to town. 他跳上汽车想开向市区。
• He hopped into a car and drove to town. 他跳进汽车，向市区开去。

6 mink   

n.貂，貂皮

参考例句：

• She was wearing a blue dress and a mink coat.她穿着一身蓝色的套装和一件貂皮大衣。
• He started a mink ranch and made a fortune in five years. 他开了个水貂养殖场，五年之内就赚了不少钱。

7 hawk   

n.鹰，骗子；鹰派成员

参考例句：

• The hawk swooped down on the rabbit and killed it.鹰猛地朝兔子扑下来,并把它杀死。
• The hawk snatched the chicken and flew away.老鹰叼了小鸡就飞走了。

8 tickled   

（使）发痒( tickle的过去式和过去分词 )； （使）愉快，逗乐

参考例句：

• We were tickled pink to see our friends on television. 在电视中看到我们的一些朋友，我们高兴极了。
• I tickled the baby's feet and made her laugh. 我胳肢孩子的脚，使她发笑。